Is this year’s basketball team the best team Woodstock has ever had?

The Woodstock High School Basketball team has enjoyed another strong season. They finished the season 16-14 overall and a top four team in their division. They ended up having a surprise playoff run by beating Kennesaw Mountain 73-67. They eventually fell to Campbell 79-71. Is this the best Woodstock boys team the school has ever had? To answer this question, we will start off evaluating the team by comparing them to the three past Woodstock teams. With all this aside, let’s get started.

Caption: The boys won a tournament.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Woodstock High School Twitter Page. Gathered by Foroutan Gorgi

Comparing this team to past teams: The 2016-17 Woodstock High School team had a record of 11-14. Despite a losing record the team still qualified for the playoffs however they lost to Lassiter 67-50. The team this year is certainly better as they have a four -game improvement while senior leader Noah Frith has seemed to improve almost every year. The 2015-16 Woodstock High School team went an 14-15, which is surprising since they took a slight step back in the 2016-17 season. Once again, this year’s team has a one game lead in terms of wins as it is quite clear at least over the last two years this Woodstock team is clearly the most talented the school has had. Finally, the last year we are breaking down is the 2014 –15 Woodstock basketball team which simply was not that good as they went only 5-21 as the team simply wasn’t good enough. After doing more research, This Woodstock team not only had the best record the school has ever had in the last 13 years but was also the highest rate team state-wise the school has ever had as it was the 35th ranked team in the entire state. The team this year also had the deepest run it had in the playoffs in school history as it made it to the Sweet 16. When discussing the improvements of the school team, WHS Junior Hunter Leonard stated, ” This is the most complete team Woodstock High School has ever had.” Demonstrates even the students taking notice of how special the team preformed this year.

Caption: Chris Carroll shooting a jump-shot in warm-ups.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Carroll. Gathered by Foroutan Gorgi

Team Leader: This just a testament to how far the basketball team has come over the last three years. They went from an awful 5-21, to an astounding. Now it’s time to break down the player that was key to this amazing turnaround. Leading Woodstock High School senior Noah Frith is the key to this turnaround as he is averaging around 15 points and his athleticism has been on display a couple games. In fact, he exploded for 49 points in a win against Walton. Despite not having the best jumper, Noah uses his size and athleticism to get to the basket at will and convert at a high rate. While many players like seniors Sid Mesumbe and Quintin Doby made this turnaround possible, Noah Frith has been the leader of this improved Wolverine team. In fact, Woodstock high school senior Amari McCain stated about Frith, “Noah is a good down low player and he scored 49 without taking a single 3.” This demonstrates the takeover ability Noah possesses.

Caption:Action shot of Noah’s Frith shooting a free throw.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Noah Frith . Gathered by Foroutan Gorgi

The secret to improved play: Last year, Woodstock suffered many close game losses as they lost ight games by eight points or less. If Woodstock won over half of these games, they would have had more wins than losses most likely. This year, however, they won 12 games decided by 8 points or less. At every level, the key to be a successful team is having the ability to consistently close out games, which Woodstock did this year. Ironically, this lead to an above .500 win percentage and the best record in school history. The school also improved their neutral sight record, which was 4-2, which was a significant improvement of the poor 2-7 record they had last year. To sum it up, maturation and internal improvement seemed to be the big factors that lead to their improvement in closing out games and winning in neutral sight games as Woodstock High junior Dylan Burkhalter stated, “I’ve learned from playing organized basketball the older and more experienced you get in close game situations, the better you execute as a team.” This symbolizes how growth and gained knowledge has helped the basketball team close out ball games.

Caption: Action shot of Dylin Hardeman shooting a free throw.

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Dylin Hardeman. Gathered by Foroutan Gorgi

To sum it up, Woodstock wrapped up its season with a respectable 16-14 record, the most wins in school history including two playoff wins against Walton and Kennesaw Moutain. Based on the past teams and the improvements this year’s team has had, it isn’t crazy to call this year’s Wolverine team as the most talented team the school has had in a long time. As a result, based on their surprise playoff run and great season in general, this is the most complete and talented team Woodstock has had in school history.

Caption: Student section cheering on their wolverines

Credit: Photo courtesy of Woodstock High School Twitter page. Gathered by Foroutan Gorgi.